Boom goes bust: Army wet blanket on cracker market

The possible alternative site for the fireworks market may be Deshapriya Park or (R) Vivekananda Park.

KOLKATA: The firecracker industry, looking for a big pre-Kali Puja and Diwali bang, may be in for a whimper after the Army refused permission to allow the city’s biggest fireworks mart on the Maidan, with barely a week to go for the festivals.

The decision has left the organizers of the bazaar — supposed to be held from November 1 to 7 — frantic for alternative venues.

The Army is the owner and custodian of the Maidan, considered the city’s lungs. Its permission is essential for organising any programme there.

According to Army sources, it was centrally decided not to allow any commercial use of the Maidan. Also, after last week’s curbs on the use of firecrackers imposed by the Supreme Court, the defence ministry made it clear that it wants to stay on the right side of the law in letter and spirit. “The Maidan belongs to the ministry of defence and the Army is the custodian. After the Supreme Court order, the ministry feels such events shouldn’t be allowed on its land as it has no means to check whether the court’s guidelines are being followed. If anything goes wrong, the onus would be on the landowner,” said a ministry source.

Shahid Minar Bazi Bazar accounts for half of total seasonal sale

The organizers say they will seek permission from the state to hold the fair at either Deshapriya Park or Vivekananda Park.

Kolkata has four fireworks marts, called “Bazi Bazars”, in the run-up to the season: at the Maidan, Tallah, Santoshpur and at Behala. But the one on the Maidan is the largest by far, accounting for sales of Rs 40 crore to Rs 50 crore, about 50% of the total seasonal sales. The Army’s refusal to give the nod, thus, drew a strong reaction from Chittaranjan Maity, secretary of Burrabazar Fireworks Dealers’ Association, which organizes the fair. “We will now face an existential crisis if we don’t find suitable alternative sites,” he said. “Traders have already invested a few crores. If the fair does not happen, people will have no option but to commit suicide,” he said. “Since there is hardly any time, we are now desperate to obtain permission for Deshapriya Park or Vivekananda Park.”

Usually, the letter of permission is issued by the under secretary, ministry of defence, through the colonel (land) of the Bengal Area.

The fair on the Maidan is the oldest of the four, being held since 1995. “Initially, about 100 shops used to participate. But over the years, the increase in rent led smaller traders to leave. Last year, we paid Rs 8.5 lakh as commercial rent for the seven-day fair. Because of this high establishment cost, the number of shops now stands steady at 44-46. All these traders have a good turnover,” Maity said.

Consumers said that not allowing the bazaar on the Maidan would force consumers to buy spurious fireworks, which cause more pollution. “At the Bazi Bazar, we used to get the cleanest fireworks, mostly manufactured in Sivakashi. The cheaper, China-made ones did not find place there. Moreover, the Maidan was a convenient location and parking was no issue. Now, we will be forced to buy Chinese fireworks, most of which are banned,” said Sunil Joshi, a resident of Vivekananda Road.

Bazi Bazar was also a place where the latest, low-emission varieties of fireworks used to be available. Such bazaars are important for promoting “green fireworks”, said environmentalist Somendra Mohan Ghosh.

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